Page 92 of Smooth Sailing

I tore off the cardboard opening, yanked out about five and handed them to her after I sat back on the bed.

She was still weeping but she wiped her eyes.

I handed her more and she blew her nose.

“Feel better?” I asked softly.

“N-no.”

Of course not.

Stupid question, Diana!

“I mean in the now.”

“No!” she cried, and I jumped at the force of it.

I’d never heard her be loud at all.

“He’s gonna hurt them. He’s gonna hurt you. He’s gonna hurt me.”

Oh, poor Suzette, sitting in this room, stewing in that fear.

“You’re safe here,” I promised.

“No I’m not. He knows them. He knows them and he wants to hurt them.”

My blood ran cold.

“He wants to hurt who?”

“H-hugger. And Eight and Muzzle and even B-b-big Petey!”

“How do you know that?”

She yanked the phone out from under her thigh and stated, “Because when I got away, I stole his phone. He talks to me. He tells me what he’s gonna do if I don’t come back to him. And I just want him to do it, Diana. Go back to him. I’m so tired. So tired of…of…of everything. And I can’t let him hurt you or…or…the guys.”

Dang, crap, shit.

“I need you to give me that phone, Suzette. And then I need to give it to Detective Scott.”

“I need a phone so you can get in touch with me.”

“I’ll get you another one. I don’t want you to use his anymore and he shouldn’t have any communication with you. Not any at all. And I think it’s important that the police have that phone.”

That seemed to stun her.

“You’ll get me a phone?”

“Yes. Like you said, we need to talk.”

“But phones are expensive.”

I forced a smile on my face. “I can’t promise to get you the latest and greatest. But you’ll be able to call, text, and download some phone games.”

She hesitated a second, then handed over Imran Babic’s phone.

I felt dirty just touching it.

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